Category: Provincial Agriculture Office

Agriculture is the primary industry of the Province of Pangasinan. Its agriculture sector is important for inclusive growth, being a key driver of the provinces economy particularly in the rural areas where farming families live.

To achieve sustainable food production, it is imperative to continuously address pressing challenges and constraints that may impact on productivity and welfare of farmers. The volatile prices of agricultural inputs /ie. fertilizers) and goods has always beena cause ofuncertainty forfarmers. Moreover, the disruption in the food value chain caused by the pandemic persist to decrease farming income of small farmers.

To address this major concern of the agricultural sector of our province, the Provincial Government under the leadership of Hon. Gov. Ramon V. Guico III is implementing the
Corporate Farming Program to enhance food production and to make farming a profitable economic enterprise. This flagship program is in line with the province’s strategicobjective to uplift the socio-economic status and well-being of every Pangasinenses.

The Provincial Corporate Farming Program, thru convergence strategy endeavors to demonstrate food production cost efficiency thru farm consolidation approach and increase production yield by optimum utilization of production inputs, farm machineries and adoption of package of technologies and rekindle Bayanihan Spirit among agriculture stakeholders.

In line with the convergence strategy of the Provincial Government, program partners were identified in order to consolidate agricultural input requirements, logistical needs and provision of technical assistance for greater access of project beneficiaries. The project program started on a later part of 2022 with only one hundred twenty (120)hectares in six (6) project sites with twenty (20) hectares per site per district as a compact farm. Initial inputs were provided to farmer cooperatives such as organic and inorganic fertilizer and pesticides and agro chemicals.

To formally implement the program, the Provincial Government will be Launching the Provincial Corporate Farming Program on July 7, 2023 to be held at the Municipality of Binalonan, which will be graced by no other than the Undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture Hon. Leocadio Sebastian. Part ofthe launching will be the farm mechanization technology demonstrations and fair and exhibits.

Agricultural marketing is important not just for increasing productivity and consumption but also for accelerating economic growth in the agriculture sector.

Widening of market helps in increasing the demand on a continuous basisthereby guarantees a higher income to producers. One ofthe market support program of the Department ofAgriculture is the KADIWA On-Wheels, a project initiative of His Excellency President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and Secretary of the Department of Agriculture.

This is to allow farmers and fisherfolk to have direct access to consumers without going through a multilayer marketing structure. Thru the KADIWA storefronts it allows farmers to selltheir goods to a higher pricethereby, increasing their profit margin. The KADIWA On- Wheels strengthens local distribution channels of basic goods in the rural communities. Thru the project, it seeks to empower the farming communities by providing direct and effective farm-to-consumer food supply chain. It also aims to promote and provide market opportunity to farmer, fisherfolk, cooperatives andassociations (FCAs) and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for their farm produce and agri-based products and provide quality and low cost basic commodities toconsumers.

Since its launching last September 2022 to June 17, 2023, the activity already generated a total of Php 5,164,015.80 sales in eighteen (18) KADIWA On Wheels conducted. This  benefitted seventy-seven (77) registered Pangasinan farmer, fisherfolk associations (FCA’s), agri-based MSME’s who participated in the activity. These groups are recipients of various interventions from the Provincial Government and the Department of Agriculture thus, their participation expand their market linkage and further develop their agro-enterprise endeavor. To bolster sales of participants, the Agribusiness Service of the Provincial Agriculture Office conducted pre-booking/ordering and market matching for farmer-producers participants.

The KADIWA On-Wheels is conducted in collaboration with the DA-Agribusiness and Marketing Division, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the National Food Authority, and the Pangasinan Laoac Dairy Farm every second Friday of the month at the Capitol Complex, Lingayen, Pangasinan.